Debuting earlier this year with ‘twentytwenty’, sonic explorer bothsxdes has now unveiled the second chapter of his boundary-pushing artistry, once again threading the fine line between melancholic darkwave and melodic, meaningful songwriting. ‘howtocry’ sees the London-based, French creative delving into manic, uplifting indie territories, all framed into a lo-fi gloom that’s quite quirky and obscure.
That’s a crucial aspect of what bothsxdes has to offer. He somehow manages to stay relatable and approachable with a relatively unconventional sonic formula, a feature that will likely take the project to bigger, global audiences. ‘howtocry’ is the perfect evidence of that, with its shadowy yet punchy aural livery supporting personal and reflective songwriting.
Exploring what it means to be vulnerable and stop hiding behind toughness, the song “opens my eyes to the power of feeling what you feel, and crying when you need to cry. It’s about letting go of the tough guy act and realising that strength and emotion can exist together,” as bothsxdes explains.
Recommended! Discover ‘howtocry’ on Spotify:
